Moving On From Milk

“Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.” Hebrews 5:13

Infants are needy, to say the least. Babies still on milk are very vulnerable to all sorts of dangers. They can easily get sick, get hurt, get taken. In order to survive, they are dependent on others as they cannot care for themselves, and they adapt the beliefs and values of those around them. Their very survival is contingent on this protection and care from others. And, without their desires met, they get even more demanding and fussy, crying, and even making messes in their self-centeredness.

“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.” 1 Corinthians 3:1-2

What is the milk that Paul is talking about? Basically, it is the ground roots… the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ… Who He is. What He did. And, how that affects our need for forgiveness… The fact that He died for our sins and that we are forgiven if we put our trust in Him is the core, spiritual milk… the beginning point of our Christian walk. If we never move on past this basic, core truth, or milk, we will not grow and mature past being an infant. How could we grow if we are still trying to understand and get past this very basic belief and still vulnerable to all the teachings of the world? We can’t.

Are you ready to get off of the dependence of spiritual milk and ready to move on to the solid food of the Word of God?

“…by this time you ought to be teachers, [but], you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:12-14

As Christians, we should not be stuck at our starting point. Accepting Christ is the key point; however, it is the key beginning point. We should be maturing along our walk, starting to understand our roles and responsibilities as followers of Jesus Christ, becoming more righteous in our pursuits of holiness, and we should be growing in our love for God and for people. If there’s no pattern of growth, what’s in the way?

What stops Christians from growing?

If we are not worshiping, walking, and working for God, then our growth will be stunted. These three “W’s” are key to growth.

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4:14-16

The solid food of God moves us from vulnerability to security. We are no longer tossed to and fro being mislead by the false hopes of the world. As we mature, we stand more solidly on the rock of Christ and our beliefs and our convictions become unwavering. We become a beacon of light on this rock, not tossed by wind and storm, but instead shedding light to guide those who might otherwise be lost in the dark. We become the hope of the world as Christ becomes more apart of us and we become less and less.

Make sure to keep solidly balanced with the 3 w’s and your life in Christ will flourish…

Worship, Walk, & Work

Father God, Thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, that we even have a hope and a chance to be reconciled to you. Help us to fully understand this so that we can get beyond this key beginning point. Our hope and desire is to become more like your Son, so that we can also be a light and be teachers to those around us. We worship you for who you are and what you’ve done. We walk with you every day. We desire to work along side of you for the rest of our lives for there is no greater cause. In Jesus Name, Amen.